Nella Plum's Peculiar Adventures Through Time and Space
by abnormalem
Summary: After successfully robbing a museum, two strange people begin to show up in Nella's life. Sometimes in the right order, sometimes not. There's one thing for sure, though– when the Doctor and River Song are around, trouble is never too far away. (Eventually set series five onwards) (Sort of)
1. Chapter 1

It was darker than Nella had expected. It _was_ nighttime and the museum had been closed to the public for hours, but she had assumed at least a few lights would have been left on. Then again, she'd also expected to run into at least one or two guards patrolling the halls. Turns out, there were none. Whether that was because nobody expected someone to be stupid enough to break into a museum with such a complicated alarm system, or whether the guards were just terrible at doing their job, she didn't know. She assumed it was probably the latter.

She glanced at a sign on her way past and smiled slightly when she found what she was looking for. Pompeii exhibit, level 2. This was going to be easier than she'd thought.

She climbed the stars silently, clutching at her leather shoulder bag and noting that it was probably good that she had left her shoes outside with her other things. She'd tied her hair up in a tight bun to try and keep it out of her face but, to her annoyance, a few red tendrils had already escaped, tickling the sides of her face.

She got to the door of the Pompeii exhibit and looked around anxiously. It had been surprisingly easy for her to disable the security cameras and alarm systems, but she was still paranoid. She turned the handle and stepped cautiously into the room.

It wasn't one of the main exhibits, the one she was looking for. It was one of the smaller ones, around the back, mostly hidden behind the signs explaining the larger artefacts. She shone her torch around until she found it. On the very end, covered in dust as if even the cleaners couldn't be bothered with it.

Out of all the things Joe had wanted, this was the strangest. It was a small square object, about the size of a Rubik's cube, decorated in small triangles. At first glance, Nella thought they were probably some sort of inscription, but after a closer look she realised that they were all the same. Decoration, she assumed.

Now came the tricky part. Nella reached into her bag and brought out a small blowtorch. Hitting the 'on' button, she carefully traced the outside of the glass case with the flame. Satisfied with the outcome, she discarded the blowtorch and carefully lifted the glass off of its wooden base. No alarm. She'd done it.

She traced the artefact gently with her fingertips before reaching down and cautiously picking it up. It was heavier than she'd expected. Smaller too. She ran her fingers along the small triangular indents in the cool stone and smiled slightly.

Nella went to place the cube back down for a moment, when suddenly there was a bright flash of light and the world around her went dark. Nella felt herself falling forward, then a moment later she landed in a corridor, hands and knees hitting the cool floor.

Well, she hadn't expected that to happen.

She stood up and dusted herself off. Her head spun. She was in a corridor similar to the one leading to the Pompeii exhibit, however the floor seemed to be a slightly different shade of grey and the lights were on, flickering every so often.

A noise came from somewhere behind her and Nella jumped. Footsteps. She looked around, trying to find somewhere to hide. There were a few doors up ahead of her, most of them closed and, by the look of it, locked. She let out a shaky breath. The footsteps grew louder and Nella could hear her heart beating in her ears. Suddenly, there was a shout.

"Through here!" Someone yelled.

There were now multiple footsteps running towards her. Lacking any alternative, Nella ran down the hall away from them.

Suddenly, a hand was placed over her mouth and she let out a muffled yelp. Someone grabbed her and she was pulled backwards into a dark room.

"Hello sweetie." Someone whispered in her ear, "Terribly sorry about this, but I don't think my lovely friends out there would be very happy finding you wandering around their museum after hours."

The voice was female which surprised Nella slightly, but didn't stop her from struggling and biting down on the hand clamped over her mouth.

"Shh." The woman tried to calm her. Nella stamped her foot and bit down harder, slightly bemused by the fact that it didn't seem to be causing her captor even the slightest amount of discomfort.

The footsteps outside faded slightly, but she could still see the light of their torches shining under the door. A moment later the lights vanished and the woman tried to push her towards the door. Nella squirmed and tried to get her arms free. Usually she was good at getting away from people, but she shock of the fall had left her anxious and distracted. Behind her, the woman chuckled again.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you weren't so wriggly."

Nella let out a stifled scoff. The men had obviously moved on to another part of the hall, but she still had no idea who this woman was, where she was, or how she had got here. Was this some sort of secret part of the museum where they stored things that weren't on display?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she was suddenly spun around, the arms around her dropping, coming face-to-face with the woman for the first time. She was shorter than Nella by one or two inches, with masses of curly blonde hair. She was older than her too, by quite a lot, though she was pretty terrible at guessing ages. Forties, maybe? Nella wasn't sure.

She snapped back to reality when the woman finally spoke.

"Hmm, you've done quite a bit of damage there, thanks for that. Good thing it was my left hand."

Nella's eyes shifted to the woman's hand, and sure enough it was bleeding. She frowned, unsure whether she should apologise or not. The woman _had_ just dragged her into a cupboard against her will, but if she hadn't Nella doubted she would have got away from the strange men.

"It's rude to stare, you know."

Nella's eyes snapped up. The woman smirked.

"Can you talk?"

Nella raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I can talk." She snapped. Then, realizing she should probably keep her voice down, she sighed. "Sorry. About the hand." She muttered, eyes shifting downwards again.

The woman shrugged. "No harm done. Well, no serious harm." She chuckled slightly.

"The cupboard! That one!"

The two of them jumped as loud footsteps approached again. A moment later, their torches appeared under the door and Nella's eyes widened. She looked around briefly. There was no other way out, not even a window. She opened her mouth to say something, then yelped when the woman linked arms with her and began typing something into a device strapped to her wrist. A bomb? Nella twisted anxiously. The woman smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, love. This isn't going to be fun."

She pressed another button on the device. There was a blinding flash of light, and Nella's head began to spin as the world around her vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hello! I was so nervous about posting this story but then I saw that a few people have read it which was quite lovely to see. I won't usually post chapters this fast, I just thought I would post the first few to see if people like then and if its worth continuing :)_**

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Nella felt her head spinning. The world around her shook, then she suddenly found herself stumbling onto concrete. She hissed in pain as her bare arms scraped against the rough surface. A second later, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, steading her.

As the world stopped swimming in front of her eyes, Nella realised in confusion that it was daytime. She looked around, then regarded the strange woman with a suspicious glare.

"Okay, time's up. Who the hell are you and where the hell are we?"

The woman looked her up and down, concerned.

"Nella? You're shaking." She noted, leading her towards a nearby rock and forcing her to sit.

Nella frowned. Had she told this woman her name? She couldn't remember. Her head was too fuzzy. Obviously she must have.

"Sorry about that, I know travelling can often make you feel a bit off colour. Are you alright?" She placed a hand on her shoulder. Nella shrugged her off.

"You're avoiding my questions." She snapped.

The woman laughed.

"Oh, I like young you."

"And I don't like you. " Nella retorted, confused as to what the woman meant by 'young' her. "And I don't like being kidnapped, so _please_ tell me where we are and, for that matter, why on earth those people were chasing us."

"Me. They were chasing me. You just got in their way. What are you doing here, by the way?"

"I asked you first."

The woman ignored her. "I'm assuming you haven't come from this time period. You aren't dressed for it. She looked her up and down thoughtfully, "Judging by your clothing I'd say early 21st century, correct?"

Nella raised an eyebrow. "Well yes, obviously. It's 2018. That's what year it is."

"So how did you end up here? Where's the Doctor?"

"What do you mean? What doctor? You brought us here with your weird watch thing, remember?"

"Vortex manipulator." She corrected. "I mean, how did you end up in a 51st century museum if you came from 2018? Did you come in the TARDIS?"

Nella stared at the woman.

"I beg your pardon. What are you talking about? Are you insane?"

The woman frowned.

"Nella? Nella, please tell me you know what I'm talking about."

Nella frowned.

"Sorry, I don't…" she trailed off, not really sure what to say. The woman visibly slumped and she asked one last, half-hearted question.

"Please tell me you know who I am."

Nella shook her head.

"I'm sorry. Should I? Are you a friend of Joe's? Because if he sent you to make sure I'm getting everything–"

"No, oh god no. I don't …" The woman trailed off, then sighed heavily. "Well, I guess this day was going to come eventually." She held out her hand.

"Doctor River Song. Nice to meet you"

Nella paused for a moment, staring at her hand thoughtfully.

"Nella Plum." She said after a moment, reaching out to shake her hand, only to stop when she saw the state of it.

"Though you seem to already know that. Sorry again about the… biting." She muttered apologetically, motioning to the red scabs.

River laughed. "Don't worry, I've had far worse."

They were silent for a moment, before the woman, River, spoke again.

"Well, we need to get back inside that museum. We've jumped forward a couple of hours, so they'll be opening again soon. What were you doing in there, by the way?"

"Um, I was…" Nella trailed off, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. River raised an eyebrow.

"You were what?"

"I was in the Pompeii exhibit, I had one of the display cases open… then I don't know. There was some sort of hole and I fell through. The next thing I knew I was in that corridor."

"Why did you have one of the display cases open?"

Nella shifted uncomfortably. "Umm, its sort of a long story?"

River smirked and raised an eyebrow. "That somehow ends in you breaking into a museum?"

Nella bit her lip and sighed. She didn't trust this woman, she didn't even know who she was, but she also had a feeling she would able to sense if she was lying.

"I'm… a bit of a computer nerd I guess you could say." She finally tried, "I bet some guy $100 that I could disable the Hunterson's security system." Not a complete lie, but River didn't look convinced.

"So that's why you were stealing an artefact?"

 _No._

"I wasn't stealing it." She snapped defensively, "I was borrowing it. I was going to bring it back. Anyway, when I lifted it up there must have been a secret hatch or something underneath and I fell through it."

River smiled and shook her head.

"No, you didn't."

"What happened, then?"

"The artefact you were stealing. It was uncovered on an excavation, in Herculaneum actually, in 2007. Of course they assumed it was from there. Except it wasn't. It's not even from this planet." She paused to type something into the device on her wrist. "When you touched the artefact, it teleported you 3000 years into the future where, coincidentally, I was trying to steal the exact same thing."

"I wasn't stealing it." She snapped again. "I was–"

"Yes, yes, borrowing it. I know. I'm sure the police would have been perfectly okay with that when they caught you." River mused.

"Well I wasn't planning on getting caught." Nella huffed and folded her arms, trying to look serious but, instead, creating a look that resembled a moody toddler.

River laughed. "I really like young you."

"I really don't like you."

The older woman sighed and stood up.

"Well, whether you like me or not, we need to get back into that museum."

"Why?"

"That artefact, it's from a planet called Fal. If used properly, it allows the owner to jump through time effortlessly. If used incorrectly, the power source inside it could be used to blow holes in the fabric of the universe. There are species that would tear this planet apart if there were even a slight chance they could get their hands on it. It needs to be destroyed."

"Okay, so go ahead and destroy it. You don't need me."

River smirked. "True, but I didn't think you'd like to be left behind 3000 years in your future with no means of getting back home. I can leave you if you want."

"Oh. I forgot about that part."

"If you help me, I'll take you home. Deal?"

"Fine. I'm not exactly going to be of much help, though."

River hummed thoughtfully, then shrugged. "Well, if we run into any trouble, you could always bite them."

Nella cracked a small smile. This woman seemed okay, whoever she was.

River motioned for her to place her hand on her watch. Nella sighed and obliged. The journey was slightly less intense the second time, though that may have been partly because she knew what to expect. They appeared in a corridor much like the one Nella had found herself in hours before. It was lighter now, the first signs of daylight seeping through the tinted windows.

She began to speak, but River placed a finger to her lips and motioned to a nearby door. On second glance, Nella realised there was a light on inside. She nodded in understanding and waited for River to decide their next move.

A few seconds passed, then River motioned down the corridor. Nella nodded and let her lead the way.

The exhibit they were looking for was on the same floor that Nella had materialized on earlier. It was bigger than the one she had been in earlier, with more signs and artefacts lining the walls. To this point, Nella had completely disregarded what River had said about traveling in time as impossible, but after seeing how different the museum looked it was beginning to sound like a plausible explanation. The fact that River had a strange device that could obviously transport them places in a flash of light was also giving her a sci-fi sort of vibe.

The cube was still in the same spot, which surprised Nella. If it was so powerful and important, why was it shoved to the back like nobody wanted it? River seemed to guess what she was thinking.

"It was dismissed as a decorative object years ago." She murmured, "Once historians realised that the triangles weren't actually writing, they pretty much lost interest."

"What are they? The Triangles?" Nella asked

"Decoration." River replied. "Well, mostly. They do serve a purpose, but the actual shape is decoration. Now, How did you get the artefact out back in your time?"

"Blowtorch."

"Ah, well that won't work this time. They finally smartened up and realized it was too easy to break into glass cases. Look."

She motioned to the case containing the artefacts. Sure enough, where Nella would have expected a glass case to be, there was an odd layer of light.

"Laser shielding." River explained, "A few years back they finally smartened up and realised that glass, no matter how thick, was just too east to break. Shame, I would have liked to watch you do your thing. What else have you got in that bag?"

Nella shrugged and absent-mindedly placed a hand on the bag at her side.

"Y'know, usual stuff. A torch, some matches, pocket knife, gloves, et cetera."

"My, we are prepared. One would almost suspect this wasn't your first time breaking into a museum."

A pained expression crossed Nella's face for a moment, but she quickly replaced it with one of amusement. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough.

"Ha." River chuckled. "I suspected so. You don't have that anxious, 'I'm not supposed to be here' look. You look quite comfortable, actually. So tell me, Nella, how are we going to get the artefacts out this time?"

Nella looked down at the display case, then back up at River.

"You already know, don't you? Why are you asking me?"

River shrugged.

"You're smarter than the average 21st century human. Treat this like a job interview. If all works out here, maybe you could come with me. You know, travel explore, steal some more precious artefacts. Maybe even ones we can actually keep." She smiled.

Nella wasn't sure if she was joking or being serious, so she chose to ignore her.

"Well, the lasers obviously have to be powered by something and there would have to be an off switch somewhere. The question is, where?"

She looked around the room, searching for some sort of power point or at least some cords. Finding nothing, she turned back to River and shrugged.

"You tell me."

"Well, you're right about the power source and the on/off switch. The museum uses a wireless system which is why there aren't any power cords, if that's what you were looking for."

Nella nodded. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to get excited. She hated stealing things, she really did. She knew it was wrong and often hated every moment of it, but she did love the adrenaline rush it gave her.

"So? What do we do?"

"That room we passed on the way in here. That's the main security office. It's where all of these barriers are controlled from. We need to get in there."

They left the Exhibit and crept back down the hall. River stopped when they reached the security room and placed a finger to her lips. It became evident a moment later that there were people in there, and every so often shuffling and muffled voices could be heard.

 _'_ _Guards.'_ River mouthed. She reached into her pocked and brought out a gun. Nella's eyed widened and she opened her mouth in shock. River hushed her.

Without giving her time to recover from the shock of the gun, River suddenly reached forward and pushed the door open, marching in and surprising the two guards that were seated at a desk inside. They stood up and drew their guns. River grinned wildly.

"Hello boys."

"Who are you?" One of them asked, looking between River and Nella.

"Oh, you know, just passing by. I thought I'd give my lovely friend Nella here a tour of the museum."

"Well you can't be in here, or anywhere, for that matter. We're not open. It's nighttime!"

"Oh dear. That really is a shame, isn't it." River said, but her grin didn't fade. She swiftly pulled the trigger of her gun twice, sending both the men to the ground.

River made her way over to the desk and sat down. She began typing things into the computer, but Nella stayed put near the door, glancing between the two bodies anxiously.

"You're acting very calm for someone who has just killed two people."

River laughed.

"They're not dead, don't worry. I don't make a habit of killing people who are trying to protect ancient artefacts. That would be a bit hypocritical, being an archaeologist and all."

Nella raised an eyebrow.

"You're an archaeologist? When you said doctor, I thought you meant medical doctor"

River laughed.

"No, no. My father is a nurse, though, so I guess it runs in the family."

"That Doctor you were talking about, is he a doctor of archaeology too?"

River laughed.

"No, not a doctor of Archaeology. A doctor of lots of other things, though. Anyway, no time for chatting. Back to work."

Nella sighed and reluctantly went and stood beside to her, looking over her shoulder every so often to check on the unconscious guards.

River motioned to the screen.

"What do you make of that?"

Nella frowned and scanned the writing on the screen. From what she could tell, it was a list of readings from all the different security shields. They were listed in order of room numbers, not names of exhibits, which meant that she had no idea which one they had to shut off.

"We're looking for West 4a, shield 72."

"It's not there."

River scanned the list for a moment longer, then realised she was right. She sighed.

"Well, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." She muttered.

"Which would be?"

"Shut down the entire system." She began typing again, "It may take a few minutes longer. Hopefully there's no one else patrolling these halls. I'll have to shut down everything, though. Including the power."

The plan sounded simple enough, but River was frowning.

"Is that a problem?"

"Slightly. I mean, even if I just shut off the power to that one cabinet someone's bound to notice eventually. I have a feeling if the entire museum goes offline its going to take them a little less time to figure out that something's going on."

She turned to Nella.

"We're going to have to be quick. Go back to the artefact. I'll shut the power down from here. When the shield drops, grab the artefact and run. I'll meet you halfway."

Nella nodded and left the room, pacing swiftly back down the hall.

She stood by the display case, anxiously waiting for the shield to drop. He brain was buzzing. She was convinced that she was dreaming, either that or she'd fallen and hit her head while trying to get the artefact out. Still, her mind was filled with questions. If she really was in the future and the artefact was still here, did that mean she didn't end up stealing it? Joe would kill her if she didn't get it back to him. She was already on thin ice after the incident with that stupid security guard from the art gallery.

God, she was so far gone. She was about to rob a museum, allegedly 3000 years in the future, and all she could think about was making Joe and his crew happy. Good one, Nella.

She jumped when suddenly the lights went out and the shield around the artefact dropped. She reached down and gently lifted it up, pausing for a brief second to admire the inscriptions. Then, remembering what River had said about the museum going offline, she took a deep breath, and ran.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! It's been a super long time since I've updated this, but I'm back at it now! Hope you enjoy :)**

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 **Chapter 3**

Quite early in her life, Nella had accepted that there were quite a number of things she couldn't do. Not falling over, unfortunately, was one of them.

Weak ankles, maybe? She wasn't completely sure, but she had basically fallen over everywhere. The middle of a car park? Done it. Cross country? Yup. Stumbled down a cliff only to land in a pile of rocks? More than once, unfortunately. It wasn't that she fell over _all_ the time, just at the most _inconvenient_ of times.

So when asked to steal things from places with guards, she usually made sure she locked them all in a room before she made her escape. Unfortunately, this was not part of River's plan. So when Nella stumbled in the corridor only two rooms away from where she had picked up the artefacts, it was incredibly inconvenient but not at all surprising.

She groaned loudly as she hit the floor. The artefact fell from her hands and landed with a clattering noise a few feet away from her. Well, Nella guessed it was a few feet, but the fact that River had turned all the power out meant that she couldn't really see what she was doing. She got to her knees and began searching for the box, feeling around the floor blindly.

Her heart began to race when she heard footsteps, distant but definitely heading in her direction. She scrambled around, desperately trying to find the artefact. Her fingers brushed against the cool metal and she felt a wave of relief was over her, but it was short lived as the footsteps became even louder.

She looked around, squinting in the dim light, and saw what looked like a cupboard a few meters in front of her. Oh, how much easier life would have been if she was short.

She quickly pulled open one of the doors and climbed inside. It was a lot smaller than the one River had dragger into earlier and she had to crouch down, folding her legs underneath her. She placed the artefact on her lap and the doors just as a group of guards rounded the corner.

Nella sat in the cupboard for what seemed like hours, curled up in a tight ball with the artefact pressing into her stomach. Her legs, which had stopped tingling after 20 minutes, were now completely numb, and her arms were aching from holding herself up.

She jumped slightly when a line of light appeared between the hinges of the cupboard door. She wondered if River would come looking for her, or if she'd just leave her there to deal with things herself. Sure, River had seemed intent on stealing the artefact, but it wouldn't be the first time someone had deserted her when things went wrong.

Her eyes widened when she heart footsteps in the hall outside. They sounded like they were coming towards her and Nella really didn't want to be found by security before she'd come up with some sort of excuse as to why she was there.

The footsteps stopped just outside the cupboard door and she froze, holding her breath. A minute later, the cupboard opened to reveal a grinning River Song.

"Well, this is an interesting hiding spot. Are you going to come out anytime soon?"

Nella shrugged.

"Well, to be honest I'm sure I can even move my legs. Here." She handed River the artefact and attempted to climb to her feet, only to have her legs give way. She fell back into the shelf with a loud thud, swearing loudly. River hushed her.

"Language, dear. Don't want the guards hearing us. They're in a meeting. They think it was a power failure, so they're going on about how they can stop it from happening again."

When Nella's legs finally started working, she stood and River held out her arm.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

She motioned for Nella to place her hand on the vortex manipulator. Nella sighed and obliged, though she wasn't looking forward to using it again.

When the two appeared it was morning. Nella looked around. They were on top of what looked like a cliff, and beneath them waves crashed against the rocky slope.

"Where are we?"

River shrugged.

"Some random cliff somewhere. Doesn't really matter where, we just need to get rid of this." She held up the artefact, then handed it to Nella. She frowned.

"What do you want _me_ to do?"

River took her gun out of its holster and fiddled with it for a moment before responding.

"When I say so, throw the artefact up, high as you can, and over the edge. Got it?"

Nella hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, ready?"

"I guess."

"Now!"

With all her strength, Nella threw the artefact up, over the cliff face and watched as river shot it. The cube disintegrated before her eyes. She watched as the dust floated through the air and eventually landed in the water below.

"Well, that's something you don't see everyday." Nella said, eventually.

River laughed.

"You mean that's something _you_ don't see everyday. 51st century technology." She said, pointing to the gun. "Now, though I'm sure you would love to hang around and steal more things from that museum, how about I take you home?"

Nella laughed.

"I'd like that." She said.

She placed her hand on River's arm and, a moment later, the two disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! This is incredibly short because I am currently drowning in uni essays and other work-related things! I promise I'll try to update again in the next week or so! I h** **ope you enjoy, even if it is short!**

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 **Chapter 4**

They appeared in a busy street. It took Nella a moment to realise where she was. She was only a block from her house. How on earth did River know where she lived? She turned to the curly haired woman and folded her arms.

"Okay. No artefacts to steal or guards to run away from so don't give me any more excuses. Who the hell are you and how do you know who I am?"

River sighed.

"It's a long story and I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you."

Nella raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? In the last few hours I've been teleported 3000 years in the future, chased by guards with scales and helped you steal and destroy an alien time travel machine. Tell me, River Song, what is it you think I won't believe?" She tried to make herself look as serious as she could, but River still chuckled.

"Very true. Well, if you must know, I'm a time traveller. As is my husband, the Doctor. Except our timelines are all jumbled– we never meet in the right order. Just like with him, I've met you before, but in the future. Your personal future, that is."

Nella nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm. That makes at least a little sense. I think. Well, at least as much sense as everything else that's happened to me in the last few hours."

She looked around. It was early afternoon and the street was bustling with people on their lunch breaks. Nella mentally groaned. Lunch breaks. Work. _Joe_.

He was going to kill her this time. Well, not kill her. Killing wasn't really his style. He was more likely going to try and inflict as much pain as he could while still leaving her conscious enough to suffer. A pained look crossed her face and River noticed. Nella wondered how much she really did know about her, if she knew her in the future.

"Of course, it's quite boring travelling on your own. Well, not boring. Lonely. Which is why he often has friends who travel with him. That's not usually my style, but how about it?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Nella blinked, only half listening.

"How about a trip? Anywhere you like. Future, past, alien planet… I promise I won't make you steal anything this time. I'm sure you could use a break from that."

Nella's eyes widened. So much, in fact, that she was surprised they didn't fall right out of her head.

"I beg your pardon?"

River winced.

"Spoilers. Sorry. I mean, I'm sure you could use a break from your _oh so normal_ life doing _oh so normal_ things."

Nella continued to stare at her, then thought for a moment. If, in the future, she trusted this woman enough to tell her about Joe, then maybe a trip with her would be a nice break from everything. Then again, she still wasn't completely convinced that this wasn't just Joe messing with her. Or that River wasn't some raving lunatic who'd drugged her and was planning on brutally murdering her. Still, she didn't really have anything to lose. Either Joe was going to kill her for losing the artefacts, or River was going to kill her and dump her body in a ditch somewhere. Or, she guessed, River may actually be telling the truth, in which case Nella might have just made her first friend in a very long time.

Nella let out a long sigh, then looked at River again.

"Fine. As long as you promise you're not a murderer who's really planning to slit my throat at the first chance you get."

River grinned

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?" she exclaimed brightly. Nella rolled her eyes.

River linked arms with the younger woman, then turned her attention to her Vortex Manipulator.

"Right then. Tell me, Nella Plum, where would you like to go?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5– The Time of Angels: Part 1**

"Liar! You said no stealing this time!" Nella glared at River and folded her arms. It wasn't that she was exactly _against_ stealing things. In fact, though she hated to admit it to herself, she actually quite liked it. However, she was promised a break and an alien market. Instead they were on a spaceship surrounded by people who were apparently members of the church. Nella didn't like them. They looked like soldiers to her and they carried guns. She _really_ didn't like guns.

Beside her, River chuckled.

"No, I said I wouldn't make _you_ steal anything. You can stay with Father Octavian and the clerics. I'll tell you when we've landed. Besides, its only security footage. Nothing fancy."

Nella rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Fine. But only because I'm quite interested in meeting this Doctor dude."

River smiled.

"Well, he is _quite_ interesting."

* * *

Nella heard River's voice on Octavian's communicator.

"You lot in orbit yet? Yeah, I saw it land. I'm at the crash site. Try and home in on my signal."

The clerics rushed around, trying to get the coordinates of River's location. A few moments later, they materialized outside. Nella spotted River almost immediately, then glanced at the two other people who were standing beside her. There was a tall woman, with hair a similar colour to her own, only shorter and straighter, and a strange, gangly looking man wearing a tweed jacket and a red bow tie. River grinned at her and motioned for her to come over.

"Hello sweetie, how are you holding up? Sad you missed out on an all the action?"

Nella scoffed.

"No _thanks_ , it's actually nice to have a break from stealing things every once in a while…" she trailed off and glanced awkwardly at the two strangers.

"Right. Doctor, Amy, This is Nella Plum. A friend of mine."

The man, the Doctor, held out his hand. Nella shook it hesitantly and he grinned.

"Nella Plum. That's a great name. Nice to meet you Nella Plum."

She couldn't help but smile at the strange man's enthusiasm. Her smile faded, however, when Father Octavian came marching towards them.

"You promised me an army, Doctor Song." He said, obviously not impressed.

River smiled. "No, I promised you the equivalent of an army. This is the Doctor."

Once he realised that he was standing in front of the famous Doctor, Father Octavian saluted

"Father Octavian, Sir. Bishop, second class. Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Doctor Song was helping us with a covert investigation. Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?

River turned to him and smiled.

"Doctor... what do you know of the Weeping Angels?"

The Doctor's eyes widened and he turned to stare at her, a look of pure horror on his face.

"Judging by his face?" Nella said, raising an eyebrow, "I'd say quite a lot."

* * *

Nella felt out of place amongst all these people with their guns, spaceships and knowledge of the future. After a good ten minutes of trying to wrap her head around what was going on, she shrunk back and stood beside Amy, watching the Doctor work.

"You're letting people call you sir. " Amy said to him. "You never do that. So, whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?"

Nella nodded.

"Judging from how he reacted when River mentioned them, I'd say so, yeah."

"Now that's interesting." The Doctor said, looking up from what he was doing to focus on Amy.

"You're still here. Which part of wait in the TARDIS till I tell you it's safe was so confusing?"

TARDIS. That word was familiar for some reason. That's right, back at Hunterson's River had asked her if she had come in the TARDIS.

"Excuse my ignorance, but what's a TARDIS?" she asked.

"The TARDIS. Stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. His time machine slash space ship." Amy explained, her eyes rolling slightly.

"That's right. River said you were a time traveller too."

The Doctor snorted. "Time traveller, River? Well, I guess if you call a vortex manipulator a time machine. The TARDIS is better. _Much_ better. AND safer." He said. Nella smirked, and she could tell he was quite defensive about the topic. Amy laughed.

"Oooh, you are all Mister Grumpy Face today."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"A Weeping Angel, Amy, Nella, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced, and right now one of them is trapped inside that wreckage and I'm supposed to climb in after it with a screwdriver and a torch, and assuming I survive the radiation long enough and assuming the whole ship doesn't explode in my face, do something incredibly clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day. That's what I'm up to. Any questions?"

"Is River your wife?" Amy asked. "Because she's someone from your future, and the way she talks to you, I've never seen anyone do that. She's kind of like, you know, heel, boy. She's Mrs Doctor from the future, isn't she? Is she going to be your wife one day?"

Nella frowned internally. That did make sense, now that she though about it.

The Doctor sighed.

"Yes, you're right." He said, and Nella raised an eyebrow before he continued, "I am _definitely_ Mister Grumpy Face today."

A few moments later, River called out from the drop module.

"Doctor! Nella!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and headed towards her. Amy nudged him before following.

"Oops. Her indoors."

"Father Octavian!" River called a moment later.

"Why do they call him Father?" Amy asked Nella. She shrugged.

"Something to do with the church, I guess. He's their bishop. Fifty-first century. It's like the church and the army have merged."

They entered the drop ship and focused on a grainy recording that was playing on the screen in front of them. It was a stone angel statue, from what Nella could tell, one you might see in a graveyard or outside a church.

"What do you think?" River asked, motioning to the monitor. "It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds. I've put it on loop.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah, it's an Angel. Hands covering its face."

"You've encountered the Angels before?" Octavian asked.

"Once, on Earth, a long time ago. But those were scavengers, barely surviving."

"But it's just a statue." Amy frowned.

"It's a statue when you see it."

"Where did it come from?"

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razbahan, end of last century. It's been in private hands ever since. Dormant all that time."

"There's a difference between dormant and patient."

Nella frowned. She turned to River.

"What do you mean, it's a statue when you see it?"

"The Weeping Angels can only move if they're unseen." River explained. "So legend has it."

"No, it's not legend, it's a quantum lock. In the sight of any living creature the Angels literally cease to exist. They're just stone. The ultimate defense mechanism."

Nella scoffed.

"What, being a stone?"

"Being a stone... until you turn your back."

* * *

 _ **Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for the reviews so far :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6– The Time of Angels: Part 2**

They were outside again, with Nella struggling to keep up as the Doctor, River and Octavian marched in front of her.

"The hyperdrive would've split on impact. That whole ship's going to be flooded with drive burn radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms. Deadly to almost any living thing."

"Deadly to an Angel?" Octavian asked. The Doctor shook his head.

"Dinner to an Angel. The longer we leave it there, the stronger it will grow. Who built that temple? Are they still around?"

River shook her head.

"The Aplans. Indigenous life form. They died out four hundred years ago."

"Two hundred years later, the planet was terraformed." Octavian added, "Currently there are six billion human colonists."

"Whoo!" The Doctor exclaimed, "You lot, you're everywhere. You're like rabbits. I'll never get done saving you."

"Sir, if there is a clear and present danger to the local population–"

"Oh, there is. Bad as it gets. Bishop, lock and load."

"Verger, how are we doing with those explosives?" Octavian asked one of the clerics. "Doctor Song, with me."

"Two minutes. Professor Plum, Sweetie, I need you both." Nella rolled her eyes at her new nickname, but obliged. She felt sorry for Amy, who called out after them.

"Anybody need me? Nobody?" Then went back inside the module to watch the Angel on the monitor.

Nella frowned. If River hadn't specifically asked her to come she probably would have hung back to keep her company. Sure, she hadn't known her for very long, but from what she had seen so far she quite liked the other ginger. Still, River was the first friend she had made in a long time, and the older woman _had_ just saved her life less than 12 hours ago.

She approached River and the Doctor, just as River handed him a book.

"I found this. Definitive work on the Angels. Well, the only one. Written by a madman. It's barely readable, but I've marked a few passages."

Nella watched as the Doctor riffled through the pages quickly.

"Hmm, not bad. Bit slow in the middle. Didn't you hate his girlfriend? No. No, hang on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait–" He gave the book a loud sniff, to which Nella raised an eyebrow. River rolled her eyes at him.

A moment later, Amy popped her head out of the drop module.

"Doctor Song? Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?"

River glanced at her distractedly.

"No, just the four seconds." She called.

Amy frowned and went back inside.

"This book is wrong." The Doctor said suddenly. "What's wrong with this book? It's wrong."

River watched him, a small, amused smile on her face. She glanced at Nella, who was staring at the Doctor with a sort of anxious curiosity.

"It's so strange when you both go all baby face. How early is this for you?"

"Very early." He looked up at her. "What do you mean both of us? Should I know her?" He frowned and turned his attention towards Nella. "Should I know you?"

Nella shook her head.

"I don't think so. I... I don't know you, so..." She trailed off and shrugged.

River's smiled faded as she watched the young woman become anxious and withdrawn again. It was so strange seeing someone who could be so full of life become so nervous she couldn't even look her in the eye. She snapped herself out of it a moment later and turned her attention back to the Doctor.

"So you don't know who I am yet?" She asked him, smirking.

"How do you know who I am?" The Doctor countered. "I don't always look the same."

"I've got pictures of all your faces. You never show up in the right order, though. I need the spotter's guide."

Something River said suddenly clicked in Nella's head.

"Hey, that book..." She trailed off. The Doctor and River both turned to stare at her.

"What about it?"

"It's meant to teach people about the angels, right?"

River frowned, not getting what the younger woman was on about.

"So, if you're writing a book about a dangerous alien life form, wouldn't you usually include–"

"Pictures." The Doctor said suddenly, his eyes widening.

Nella nodded.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Why aren't there any pictures?"

The Doctor began frantically flicking through the pages again.

"This whole book, it's a warning about the Weeping Angels, so why no pictures? Why not show us what to look out for?"

"There was a bit about images" River recalled. "What was that?"

"Yes. Hang on... That which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel."

"What, the pictures themselves turn into angels?" Nella frowned.

The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Amy."

Suddenly he bolted, running back towards the drop ship with River and Nella trailing behind him.

"Doctor!" Amy called from inside.

"Amy, are you all right? What's happening?"

"Doctor? Doctor, it's coming out of the television. The Angel is here!"

"Don't take your eyes off it. Keep looking. It can't move if you're looking." The Doctor called, taking out his sonic and scanning the keypad.

"What's wrong?"

"Deadlocked."

"There is no deadlock."

"Don't blink, Amy. Don't even blink."

"Doctor?" Amy called again.

"What are you doing?"

"Cutting the power." The Doctor replied, pulling at some of the wires. "It's using the screen, I'm turning the screen off. No good, it's deadlocked the whole system."

"There's _no_ deadlock." River insisted.

"There _is_ now."

"Help me!" Amy called, sounding even more terrified.

"Can you turn it off?" The Doctor asked her

 **"** Doctor?"

"The screen. Can you turn it off?"

"I tried." Amy choked

"Try again, but don't take your eyes off the angel."

"I'm not."

"Every time it moves, it'll move faster. Don't even blink."

River reached into her pocket and brought out two small blowtorches. She switched both of them on, then handed one to Nella.

"Let's see if we can cut through." She motioned to the metal in front of them. Nella hesitated for a moment before placing the flame against the wall of the drop ship.

"I'm not blinking. Have you ever tried not blinking?" Amy exclaimed. There was a brief pause before she spoke again.

"It just keeps switching back on!"

The Doctor sighed.

"Yeah, it's the Angel."

"But it's just a recording."

 **"** No, anything that takes the image of an Angel _is_ an Angel." He glanced at River and Nella. "What are you two doing?"

"Trying to cut through. It's not even warm."

"There is no way in. It's not _physically_ possible."

 **"** Doctor." Amy called again. "What's it going to do to me?"

"Just keep looking at it. Don't stop looking." The Doctor called as he grabbed the book and flicked through it again.

"Just tell me. Tell me!"

"Amy, not the eyes. Look at the Angel but don't look at the eyes."

Nella frowned.

"Why not the eyes?" She asked him softly.

The Doctor sighed and began to read from the book.

 **"** The eyes are not the windows of the soul. They are the doors. Beware what may enter there."

 **"** Doctor, what did you say?" Amy called suddenly

"Don't look at the eyes!"

"No, about images. What did you say about images?"

"Whatever holds the image of an Angel, is an Angel." Nella called.

There was silence, and then they heard Amy mutter something.

"Okay, hold this. One... two... three... four!"

Suddenly the door opened and The Doctor, River and Nella burst in. Amy stood staring at the monitor, which was now off.

"I froze it!" She exclaimed. "There was a sort of blip on the tape and I froze it on the blip. It wasn't the image of an Angel any more. That was good, yeah? It was, wasn't it? That was pretty good."

Nella smiled.

"That was amazing." She assured the other ginger. River nodded in agreement.

"River, Nella, hug Amy."

"Why?"

"Because I'm busy."

"I'm _fine_." Amy insisted.

"You're _brilliant_." River assured her.

"Thanks. Yeah, I kind of creamed it, didn't I?" Amy continued, making Nella laugh.

"So it was here? That was the Angel?"

"That was a projection of the Angel. It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant."

There was an explosion outside, and a moment later they heard Octavian's voice.

"Doctor? We're through."

The Doctor turned to them.

"Okay, now it starts."

The Doctor rushed outside to join the clerics, River following closely behind. Nella went to leave, but turned back when she noticed that Amy wasn't following.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." Amy replied hesitantly. "Fine. Just... had something in my eye."

* * *

 _ **I hope you enjoy this chapter! I have a brief break from Uni for 3 weeks so I'm going to try and get a few chapters up and even more written :)**_


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